Friday; February 21


          How good were the 2017 Houston Astros?  If you are a baseball fan, you may have asked yourself this question.  Even if you aren’t a baseball fan, if you have been paying attention to the news, you probably understand the reference.  Over the past few months the story of how some of the Astro players used electronic aids to gain an advantage has come to light.  As I have watched this story unfold I have often wondered how much of their success was talent and how much of it was the result of cheating.  The 2017 Astros were a fun team to watch, but just how good were they – really?  Sure, knowing what pitch was coming gave the batter an advantage, but a batter still had to hit major league caliber pitching.  There is no doubt that these players were good, the question remains just how good they were.  Sadly, no one will be able to answer this debate because there will always be an asterisk beside their accomplishments.
          As the 2020 baseball season approaches this quandary might be a good reminder of our need to maintain our integrity so that people won’t have to worry about whether we are good people or not.  When we live good lives and abide by a moral and ethical lifestyle people can take our goodness at face value.  Long before the 2017 Houston Astros a Christian leader observed, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing;  so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world ...” (Philippians 2:14-15).  Let’s never leave room for doubt as to whether our lives are what they appear to be.  By setting a high standard for our behavior and striving to reach it each and every day we can lead others to achieving their potential.
Think About It!

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